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As I slowly get to the end of my restoration, I find another thing here or there that causes my project to slow down... I got the carb and ignition issues worked out! Replacing the diaphragms fixed the "lean" condition. Cleaning the plugs fixed the ignition issues as I had to use the enrichener to keep the engine running before fixing the carbs. However, I now noticed some very nice cracking in the rubber "half-moons" plugs on the valve cover gaskets. I also have noticed a little oil on the engine...not much, but enough to know that the valve cover gaskets are going. What parts do I need to replace when doing the gaskets? What components do I need to remove to access the valve covers? I already have ALL the plastic off. I will also be removing the carbs (again) soon to replace the carb mount boots (very tiny leak found). I've heard that 2nd Gen valve cover gaskets will work on 1st Gens. Is this accurate? Thanks in advance! WHCC

I have oil collecting at the top of the left rear cylinder just below the chrome cover. I thought it was only occurring while running, but the bike has been sitting in the garage since Dec. 7th at which time I cleaned it thoroughly. While installing a Speed Bleeder and changing my clutch fluid over the weekend, I found oil there again. On the car I'd suspect a valve cover gasket. Do I have a valve cover gasket or similar on my RSV? Suggestions welcome. Ken

OK, so winter has its icy grip on me. Time to install the Shindengen voltage regulator I bought from Dano in the group buy and adjust the valves on the 86. The Shindengen regulator was first on the list. When it was first talked about on this site it was said that this replacement voltage regulator is far superior to the old one but not the same dimensions. This poses a problem for the mounting. The Shindengen is too wide to mount in the stock position. I found that it would hit the muffler and not let the muffler be mounted. Mounting it here seemed detrimental to me because of the heat factor also. So an alternate site has to be found. You have to give credit to the Japanese for this bikes compactness of its various components. The Shindengen regulator was mounted in the left air-duct on Saltydog 83 std. This to me sounded like a excellent place for mounting with one exception. I was worried about any high frequency interference in my radio being that it would be mounted under it. I for one like my FM radio. Like a local station says in its promos "There's no weather warnings on a I-pod". So my choice was the right side air-duct. The installation was tight but do-able. I started it after buttoning it up, no radio noise and it works just like it was explained. Ramping up slowly,perfect. So far so good. The valves have never been done on my 86 to my knowledge it has roughly 38,000 mi. So I start to line up the necessary gaskets, shims and tool. The gaskets and shims are no problem. The tool thats a problem in itself. Seems nobody stocks this tool. Unless your willing to spend bu-ku bucks for it. I'm cheap. I know it. So that being said, I started to make my own. It started out life as a 13/16-7/8 box end wrench that was modified earlier for some past job. The box width was pretty close to what was needed. Randy R contributed pictures of what the tool actually does. Which helped to get a mental pic of the valve tools dimensions. Plus Dingy posted a PDF file of a original tools dimensions. The total thickness of the 13/16 wrench wasn't enough to depress the shim buckets. So after welding the outside some to build it up and grinding it flat the appropriate thickness was achieved. The size 13/16 didn't fit the cam hex at first so some filing was done until it did. It worked like a charm! Total time involved in making the tool was roughly 2-3 hours. It isn't pretty but it works. Valves done. Thanks to everyone for the great writeups on the Shindengen voltage regulator and valve settings. Also the PDF charts and pictures about both. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39671&d=1262284449

Attached is a Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet that can be used as an aid in selecting replacement valve shims. This should work for 1983 through 2009 models, I did not see any variances in the sizing charts in the service manuals. 1st sheet in file is in Metric format. 2nd sheet in file is in Inch format. I expanded upon the valve clearance charts that are in the service manuals to include the shims end in 2 and 8. The reason for this is that these shims can be reused in the bike if available. I don't believe you can buy the --2 and --8 sizes. Screen shot below shows cylinder 2 area. The only cells that are selectable are the "Shim in Now" & "Measured Clearance" data fields. The "Shim in Now" field will only accept valid shim sizes. There is a pull down menu for valid sizes or size can be keyed in. The only other value that is accepted as input is a zero. I included this to set chart to neutral setting. The "Measured Clearance" field has no error checking built in. Use millimeters on Metric sheet or inches on Inch sheet. The decimal point needs to be entered, the "mm" or "in" does not need to be entered. Below the "Measured Clearance" field is a calculated field for "Shim Needed". This field will display the correct shim size to set valve clearance to the high end of acceptable range. Next is "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "Shim Needed" field. Next is "2nd Choice Shim" field. This field will display the next larger size shim that will work. This shim may be selected due to "Shim Needed" is an odd size or not available. This shim will set valve clearance to the low end of acceptable range. Next is another "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "2nd Choice Shim" field. In the upper right hand example, the lower "Expected Clearance" field is highlighted in Red. This will happen when any of the calculated sizes fall outside of acceptable range. If value cannot be calculated the "Shim Needed" field will be blank and error will display in "Second Choice Shim" field. This will happen if an out of range clearance value is entered. The two right hand charts in screen shot do not have data entered in so there are errors shown. This should print out on 8 1/2" x 11" paper very readable. This is just an aid for shim selection. Verify Clearances if you use this after shims are installed. Gary http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af193/gdingy101/valvechartclip1.jpg 39118.xls

Attached is a Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet that can be used as an aid in selecting replacement valve shims. This should work for 1983 through 2009 models, I did not see any variances in the sizing charts in the service manuals. 1st sheet in file is in Metric format. 2nd sheet in file is in Inch format. I expanded upon the valve clearance charts that are in the service manuals to include the shims end in 2 and 8. The reason for this is that these shims can be reused in the bike if available. I don't believe you can buy the --2 and --8 sizes. Screen shot below shows cylinder 2 area. The only cells that are selectable are the "Shim in Now" & "Measured Clearance" data fields. The "Shim in Now" field will only accept valid shim sizes. There is a pull down menu for valid sizes or size can be keyed in. The only other value that is accepted as input is a zero. I included this to set chart to neutral setting. The "Measured Clearance" field has no error checking built in. Use millimeters on Metric sheet or inches on Inch sheet. The decimal point needs to be entered, the "mm" or "in" does not need to be entered. Below the "Measured Clearance" field is a calculated field for "Shim Needed". This field will display the correct shim size to set valve clearance to the high end of acceptable range. Next is "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "Shim Needed" field. Next is "2nd Choice Shim" field. This field will display the next larger size shim that will work. This shim may be selected due to "Shim Needed" is an odd size or not available. This shim will set valve clearance to the low end of acceptable range. Next is another "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "2nd Choice Shim" field. In the upper right hand example, the lower "Expected Clearance" field is highlighted in Red. This will happen when any of the calculated sizes fall outside of acceptable range. If value cannot be calculated the "Shim Needed" field will be blank and error will display in "Second Choice Shim" field. This will happen if an out of range clearance value is entered. The two right hand charts in screen shot do not have data entered in so there are errors shown. This should print out on 8 1/2" x 11" paper very readable. This is just an aid for shim selection. Verify Clearances if you use this after shims are installed. Gary http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af193/gdingy101/valvechartclip1.jpg 39120.xls

Attached is a Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet that can be used as an aid in selecting replacement valve shims. This should work for 1983 through 2009 models, I did not see any variances in the sizing charts in the service manuals. 1st sheet in file is in Metric format. 2nd sheet in file is in Inch format. I expanded upon the valve clearance charts that are in the service manuals to include the shims that end in 2 and 8. The reason for this is that these shims can be reused in the bike if available. I don't believe you can readily buy the --2 and --8 sizes. Screen shot below shows cylinder 2 area. The only cells that are selectable are the "Shim in Now" & "Measured Clearance" data fields. The "Shim in Now" field will only accept valid shim sizes. There is a pull down menu for valid sizes or size can be keyed in. The only other value that is accepted as input is a zero. I included this to set chart to neutral setting. The "Measured Clearance" field has no error checking built in. Use millimeters on Metric sheet or inches on Inch sheet. The decimal point needs to be entered, the "mm" or "in" does not need to be entered. Below the "Measured Clearance" field is a calculated field for "Shim Needed". This field will display the correct shim size to set valve clearance to the high end of acceptable range. Next is "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "Shim Needed" field. Next is "2nd Choice Shim" field. This field will display the next larger size shim that will work. This shim may be selected due to "Shim Needed" is an odd size or not available. This shim willset valve clearance to the low end of acceptable range. Next is another "Expected Clearance" field. This is a calculated field to show what valve clearance should be with the shim size shown in "2nd Choice Shim" field. In the upper left hand example, the lower "Expected Clearance" field is highlighted in Red. This will happen when any of the calculated sizes fall outside of acceptable range. If value cannot be calculated, the "Shim Needed" field will be blank and error will display in "Second Choice Shim" field. This will happen if an out of range clearance value is entered. The two right hand charts in screen shot do not have data entered in so there are errors shown. This should print out on 8 1/2" x 11" paper very readable. This is just an aid for shim selection. Verify Clearances if you use this after shims are installed. Gary http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af193/gdingy101/valvechartclip1.jpg 39118.xls 39118.xls 39120.xls

Chart below shows my valve clearances. 1983 venture, 36,000 miles Cold engine, setting on workbench. Should I be concerned due to rear head being tighter than front head. The #2 inboard intake is tighter than my smallest feeler of .0015" Should I change the ones that are just outside spec.? I have 3 intakes at .10mm,, spec is .11-.15mm ?? Next, I have seen in other threads that there is a loaner valve kit available. Who would I contact about using this?? http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af193/gdingy101/valveclearance.jpg Gary

I've ordered a set of valve cover gaskets. The PO gave me a set of the heavy duty battery & starter cables but they were never installed. Should I put these on while I have things apart for the valve covers, and what problems can I expect to look for? I also have a new fuse block in the box.

Someone with a XVZ1300 (naked) over here asked me if I knew the valve settings. Nope, but knew where to come and ask:thumbsup2: So help away guys.......................................

If anybody is looking for valve cover gaskets there is a listing for them on ebay now for a fair price and cheap shipping. It's a Buy it Now for NOS and take as many as you want. There were three left a little bit ago. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200393189413&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Just FYI.

I'll be starting some winter maintenance soon and I though others might be as well. Does anyone have a Morgan Carbtune and/or Colortune for loan in Greater Vancouver? If not then I'll order these and make them available for loan. http://www.ekmpowershop1.com/ekmps/shops/carbtune/carbtune-pro-4-column-and-toolpouch-24-p.asp I also have a valve shim kit available with most sizes from 2-30 to 3-10. I have not bought the tool yet though.

Front tire went down 65mph two up.Slide about 200' both of us stayed with the bike until we hit shoulder.Minor scrapes & bumps totaled 07 venture. Tire had 3000 miles on it new valve stem when tire was changed.No hole in tire valve stem rubber cracked.Never thought bad valve stem but i will now.And yes i do check my tires before every ride.

I took my '07 RSV into the dealer yesterday for a valve adjustment and to check a couple of other things. One of which was the clutch basket chirp. They ordered the new basket right away and should have it in a few days. I'm going to pick the bike up tomorrow so I'll have it to ride on the weekend and then I'll take it back in next week for the clutch install and valve adjustment. The clutch chirp has started to annoy me and I believe it is getting worse as I put on more miles. I've got about 30k on it now. Hope it helps a bit. Dennis

I blew a valve cover gasket on my 89 VR yesterday. This is my second season riding it after it sat idle for about 13 or 14 years. Do you guys think I should just go ahead and replace all of them? I don't want to be stranded somewhere. Lucky for me yesterday I was in town, if I hadn't been on call there's no telling where I would have been. Thanks for your input, Jackie

I would like to send out a special thanks to Squidley for finding the issue that has for so long plagued my bike. After all of the troublshooting and head scratching, Squidley shows up and points out the fact that my rear brake fluid was no longer fluid. It is now a gel. Appearantly my rear brake has been slowly locking up on me. Thank you Squidley . He also pointed out a couple of other issues that I need a little help with. Is there anybody out there who may have a spare rear reservoir and a proportioning valve they would like to part with? My valve is no good and my reservoir is in pieces. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Clay

Good evening all. Just came in from the garage where I was beating myself up with this problem, i.e, #2 air valve not responding to throttle whatsoever. I ensured the vacuum port was clean and clear by squirting B12 through the port and it exiting from the top of the carb; then used moderately high pressure air with the same results. The diaphragm is good, no holes, no tears and attached with no separation. The small oring was/is in place. Carbs sync perfectly creating 24 mb of hg at idle (1050 rpm). Plug is firing. Good vacuum at the boost sensor vacuum port on the carb manifold. Everything checks out except for a dead air valve. What the h....! I have two more nights to figure this out or I am left with taking my Ultra to the rally. I really won't mind doing that but I would much rather ride the Venture because it is a much better bike. Any more ideas. H______E_______L________P!!!!

For anyone contemplating buying or putting together a valve shim kit, you won't BELIEVE this buy! I'm sure the web site is a mistake, but I ordered one anyway and got it for a total of $12.90 ($5.95+shipping)! I expected them to call me and say "no way", but it arrived today! :cool10: And now they have even LOWERED that price! Better get your order in before they change it. Order the starter kit from this page: http://www.preferredpowersports.com/eshopprod_cat_5347-19112-30104_product_736199_keyword_25mm+AND+shims.KL_HONDAYAMAHA_SHIMS.htm Goose

My brother just bought a 1996 kawaski vulcan 500 ltd in great condition the guy says it needs a valve adjustment and i am just wondering how much work were looking at or how much the stealership would charge for it? thanks guys

Ive been look through the 1st Gen manual to see if there is a shrader valve attached to the rear shock on my '88 VR. Thought I would throw the questions out here. Is there a rear shock shrader valve and if so where is it located? The class on my '88 doesn't work. I've installed Progressives in the front forks and would like to be able to add air manually until I get the CLASS working. Dave

WARNING - this is LONG, so unless you are actually going to adjust your valves, or just like to read mechanical cookbooks, you probably should just stop here! There is a LOT involved in this job. It needs to be done, but it is probably worth whatever you local shop is charging. I'd certainly pay $200 for it if I trusted the shop, and I'm very comfortable doing the job myself (but you are probably not going to get it done that cheap). If you don't trust your shop, or don't have the money, then read on! We periodically have questions and discussions here on valve adjustments, like how often? (26,600 miles), is it really needed? (yes), how to? (read on), etc. And the tech manual, along with several other members, indicate it is a BIG job. So Ponch and I decided to organize a training session to see first-hand what was involved and find out about any surprises before we attempted to help any other members on this. And I want to really emphasize how thankful we are to BuddyRich for his wonderful loan of a shim kit and special tool, along with his selfless help of an entire day of hot sweaty work! Without him, what follows would probably never have happened: Background info: My 2005 RSV had the first valve check/adjustment done on schedule around 27,000 miles through the initial maintenance contract I purchased with the bike. Since the shop did it, I have no idea if any shim changes were actually needed, but since I saw evidence the valve cover gaskets were changed, I will assume that at the end of that service, all 16 valves were within spec. My bike now has 70,000 miles on it, putting it about 15,000 miles overdue for the second valve check. I found about half the valves either right at minimum tolerance or too tight (and three of them were significantly too tight). You get to decide how often you want to do your own bike, but I'll be doing this one by 30,000 miles each time now. Planning: 1. Order your gaskets and find tools and shims first. The valve cover gasket is 4NK-11193-00-00, and the best price I found was at www.carolinacycle.com for about $18 ea. I wouldn't want to do this job without a valve shim kit unless I was willing to leave the bike torn down for several days to go find the right shims after measuring all the clearances. In addition, there are different ways to hold down the valve buckets to change the shims, but the only "right" way (and certainly the easiest) is to have the special tool; therefore, find or buy one before you start. We have several members who have the tool and a shim kit (just a selection of various sizes) who may be willing to loan them. BuddyRich and Mother are two you might ask (if anyone else wants their name listed or removed here, please contact me so I can edit this post!). If you find someone to loan a shim kit, PLEASE ask them ahead of time to look at the current collection of shims, particularly the 265 and 270 sizes, to see if any common sizes are in short supply. The shims don't cost much, and in return for the loan, you really should buy at least two new shims in needed sizes before you start the job. Not only will this make it more likely you have the ones you need for your own bike, but it will make the kit better for the next use. It is hard to say ahead of time what sizes might be most needed, since every bike will change the mix. When we did four bikes on the same day, it was very interesting to see that. After the first two bikes, we had a ton of 270 shims, but not many 265 or 275. But after the next bike, there were only a couple 270s left but a big stack of 275. 2. This is a perfect time to change your coolant, so if you need it, have that on hand too. Even if you don't need to change it, you WILL need to drain about a quart, so have an appropriate clean tray and funnel that will allow you to do this and then add it back later. 3. This is also the perfect time to change your plugs, so have them on hand too. 4. Get a can of spray carb and choke cleaner. You are gonna want to pull those carbs (perfect time to set the floats too), and the #1 and #2 carbs are gonna be NASTY with oil residue and dirt. Legend has it that you can do this job without pulling the carbs, but no way I would want to try it. And besides, once you have all the other stuff off, pulling the carbs just isn't that hard. 5. You will really want to have your bike straight up for this job, so a center stand or maintenance jack is good to have on hand. This isn't required, but will be a lot easier and cleaner! On the side stand, you get some oil dumping off the left corner of the heads when you crack the valve cover loose, and more that comes out the covers in the left crank case. The oil mess is much worse if you have Leveling Links and you try this on the side stand! 6. Misc. tools: A good set of feeler gauges are obvious, but you will also need a torque wrench that goes down to 7.2 ft lbs (10 Nm or 86 in lbs), and a magnetic retrieving tool, tweezers or hemostats, and a good quality very small screwdriver (like a mid-size jeweler's driver, but stronger) will be necessary to remove the shims. I also recommend a tube of high temperature RTV 'gasket goo' to use on certain points of the new gaskets. On those feeler gauges, most sets have both inch and mm numbers, but the primary (or even increments) that it uses will be either inch or metric. You will have a much easier time of measuring and selecting shims if you have a metric set. And make certain you have a very bright flashlight - I prefer one of the new small LED ones because of the birghtness and color of the light. 7. Instructions - the shop manual is generally pretty good here, so I suggest you print out pages 3-9 through 3-13. The Job: Start by removing the basic stuff: seat, tank, lower cowlings, air filters. Since you WILL need to drain some coolant, just go ahead and pull those lower cowlings now and make taking off the air filters easier. Remove the "dog bones" connecting the front cylinder heads to the frame. Remove the air intake tract, including the rubber tubes where the air filters attach, the top air plenums, and the rubber T between the air filters (it is held on by one 10mm bolt on the right side of the frame). To get the air plenums off, you will need to first remove the metal straps on top (four screws each), and the two screws holding the crank case vent hose in the middle, then pull the hoses and wire bundles off to the side. After the clamps on top of each carb and the front clamp are loose, each plenum will just pull straight up. When taking off the metal straps, note that the inside front screw on each is longer than the other three, and be CAREFUL when putting all of those screws back at the end of this job - they will strip very easily! When you pull the crankcase breather connection loose from between the two air plenums, be careful of the little foam rings, most of them are stretched and falling apart - unfortunately they don't seem to be available in the parts breakdown. When you lift off each air plenum, there is a vent hose connected on the rear that will just pop off (watch out for the little wire spring clip - they aren't really necessary, but you don't want to have one pop off and get stuck in a carb or something). Pull all four plugs (necessary to turn the engine over while checking the valves). Drain the coolant - if not changing it, you will still need to drain a quart or so to allow the removal of the water hose from the rear head. CAUTION! The 12mm drain plug on the bottom left of the radiator is just plastic (as is the radiator), so when putting the plug back in, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!!!! The correct tightness is about what you can put on a clean, dry 3/8" socket extension with your bare hand. Pull the carb assembly. Start by disconnecting the fuel line behind the right rear carb and open the two clips on top of the carbs to release the fuel line that goes to the tank. Then disconnect the two overflow hoses that connect on top between the carbs and run forward to the front of the air filters. Go ahead and remove those overflow hoses completely, just pay attention to how they are routed and watch for the little plastic clip that holds them together between the carbs. At this point, all you need to do is loosen the hose clamp beneath each carb (but see the caution below) and disconnect the two electric plugs for the wires connected near the left front carb. You will find both of these plugs right up next to the frame under the large main wire bundle. The white two-wire plug is for the carb heaters, and the black triangular three-wire plug is the throttle position sensor. With the hose clamps below all four carbs loose, you can pull straight up on the assembly on each side to "pop" them loose from the intake manifolds (and this usually takes a lot of force!). With the carb assembly loose it slides straight out the left side. I generally wait until this point when the carbs are part way out to disconnect the throttle cables - access is much easier. Just loosen the long nut on each cable to allow it to slip off the bracket - as long as you don't move the small nut, the cables adjustment will not change. CAUTION! The screws on the hose clamps on the bottom of each carb are VERY soft metal. In addition, those clamps each have a metal collar to prevent you from over tightening them on the rubber boot. On most of the bikes I have worked on, at least one of those screws has been frozen so hard that the head stripped out, requiring me to drill it off to remove the clamp. If you have this same problem, stuff a rag under the clamp before you drill it off so you don't loose that little collar. The screw can then be replaced with any standard 4mm screw from the hardware store. With the carbs out, you probably should stuff a paper towel in each intake manifold to prevent anything from accidentally disappearing down there while you are working on the bike. Remove the chrome covers on the cylinder heads. Remove the plastic wire tray under the frame in front of the battery cover. This is held on by one 10mm bolt on the left side of the frame and a screw under all those hoses in front of the battery. Once that tray is off, pull the disconnected vent hoses out the back to get some needed working room above the rear valve cover. Finally, the last thing to take off before you can actually remove the valve covers is the rubber hose for the water line to the rear cylinder head (no need to take the front one off). You will need to remove the two plugs/covers in the center of the left crankcase cover to turn the engine, so now is a good time to do that. The two #3 philips-head screws are generally REAL tight, so make sure you use the correct size screwdriver to not bugger them. With the screws out, just use a very small screwdriver to work the cover back and forth on the O-ring to get it to pop off. There is a thin metal plate that will fall out as soon as the cover comes loose - it just goes back in with the ridge facing the crank, and you usually will not need to replace the O-rings on the covers. And now for the valve covers! Four flat allen-head bolts on each and they will pop off without too much effort. The gaskets are thick rubber, and they overlap a hollow cavity at the corner of each head. Just use your finger to pull of that rubber corner and then you can put a small screwdriver under there and catch the edge of the valve cover to pry it up. The rear cover will be difficult to get off, even after everything you have already removed! But just raise it as high as you can against the fuel line or other wire bundles still hanging below the frame and kinda rotate it forward to clear the cam chain. The front cover has lots of top clearance, but you need to take it out the right side to clear the water hose you left in place. FINALLY - ready to actually start checking valve clearance! MEASURING THE VALVE CLEARANCE: You can approach the measurement of the valve clearance two ways - some folks prefer to just turn the engine until they see the cam lobe pointing up for whatever valve they are checking, but I prefer to follow the more common practice of setting a piston at TDC on the compression stroke, then checking all valves for that cylinder (this is also the method from the service manual). But here is a little clue - don't get too hung up on believing everything in the service manual! There is a note in several places that tells you "TDC on the compression stroke can be found when the camshaft lobes are turned away from each other." NOT SO!!! While true for the front two cylinders, the cam lobes on the rear two cylinders will NEVER point away from each other! Seems weird to me, as I really expected the valve timing to show the identical relationship between the cams on all the cylinders for the same engine, but the facts show different. And before anyone asks, I did check my valve timing according to the manual and the index marks on the cams, and all four cams were correct. Anyway, back to the measurement. Start by turning the engine counterclockwise until you see the valves on #1 cylinder (left rear) all closed, then watch for the timing mark on the generator rotor through the observation hole to align with the mark on the crankcase cover. It is not necessary for it to be exactly perfect to measure the valves. Now you can check the clearance on both intake and both exhaust valves for #1. Since you are dealing with four valves at a time, it is helpful to write down the clearance you measure so you don't have to re-check them over and over again! If any valves need to be adjusted, I explain this in the next section. After completing the measurement and/or adjustment for #1, if you turn the crank 180 degrees, cylinder #3 (right rear) will be at TDC and ready to check (just put the socket on the crankshaft with the handle pointing to the rear and turn it counterclockwise until the handle points forward - can't get much easier than that!). When you are done with #3, turn the crank 180 degrees again, then start watching for a second timing mark to line up on the generator rotor 70 degrees later (a little less than 1/4 of a turn), now #2 is at TDC and ready to check. Finally, after checking/adjusting #2, just turn the crank 180 degrees one more time and #4 will be at TDC and ready to check. When you are done with #4, turning the crank just 110 degrees (slightly more than 1/4 turn) puts #1 back at TDC to start over. After you have made adjustments to any valve, I strongly recommend you turn the engine through several turns to ensure the valve shims are fully seated and measure them again to see if the final clearance is what you want. I found I needed to change the shims several times on some valves to get it right. By going through the 1, 3, 2, 4 sequence several times you get the chance to double-check all your measurements, as well as re-check the ones you changed. CHANGING THE VALVE CLEARANCE: Note: You will find a second person to help turn the engine VERY helpful here, especially when working on #3 and #4! To adjust the clearance you need to remove the existing shim and replace it with one of a more appropriate thickness. The majority of changes will be to a thinner shim, but you won't have any idea what the needed size will be until you get the existing shim out. Getting the tappet adjusting tool inserted the first time can be a little tricky. It can be inserted from either side of the cam, depending on which side you want to pull the shim from. The first thing you do is turn the crank in either direction so that the cam lobe is pointing AWAY from the side where you plan to insert the tool. Next, before you insert the tool, use your fingertip to turn both shim buckets until one of the open notches is where you can reach it with your small screwdriver - this is where you will need to pry up the old shim to break the suction of the oil film (and that can be tough to do). To insert the tool, try to rotate the short end under the cam to depress the buckets. You won't get it very far just with your fingers, so slowly turn the crank in the proper direction to let the cam finish turning the tool into place (while keeping some pressure on the long arm of the tool to make it move). You will want to make sure the tool is turned all the way until the long arm touches the side of the head or you won't have enough clearance to pull out the old shim. Now that the tool is in place, reach in with that little screwdriver and pry up on the bottom edge of the shim - the suction of the oil film will be STRONG, so don't be surprised if you have a tough time getting each shim to pop up. Once it does pop up, you can either grab it with tweezers or a magnet to pull it out. Turn it over and note the number on the bottom (they should always be installed with the number down). Replacement shims are only available in .05mm increments (such as 260, 265, and 270), but the ones you pull out might be be anything (such as 269 or 272). That is why you will find some odd numbers in the shim kit - they came out of someone else's bike. To decide what shim to put back in, you need to know what the clearance was before you removed it (remember, I said to write it down)! The shop manual has a really neat chart that lets you just look along one axis to find the number on your current shim, then just look down the side to find the clearance you measured - where the two lines intersect, that is the new shim number you need. It works pretty good, but make sure you look at the right chart (they are different for intake and exhaust)! If you try and do this job without having a shim kit, those charts are really the best way to decide which shims you need to buy. A less formal but more natural way is to just look at the number of the current shim, think about how much you need to change it (was that valve just a little tight, or a lot tight?), and then choose a slightly thinner or thicker shim that you think might be in the ballpark. For example, if you pull out a 273 shim and the valve was just a tad too tight, you might want to try a 270, but if it seemed quite a bit lower than the minimum spec, better go straight to the 265. No matter how you selected the new shim size, it is very important to turn the engine over several times and then re-check the clearance to see if your guess was correct - even using the charts leaves room for error. Putting it all back Together: Just a few notes here on reassembling the bike - most everything will just be a reverse of the disassembly process, but there are a few pointers to help you. Valve Cover Gaskets: These are very thick rubber with big half-circle "lumps" at the ends of each camshaft. They only go on ONE way. They are flat on the bottom, and the top has a ridge that fits into the groove on the valve cover. But it does not fit tight enough in the groove to hold it in place while you put the cover back. No matter, though, since there is not enough clearance to get the cover back on the rear cylinders with it attached - your only choice is to place the gasket on the head and then maneuver the cover in place. The original gasket seems to have been held to the cover by several spots of rubber cement in the groove, but there was no sign that a gasket sealant was used all the way around. Other than those glue spots on the cover, there was no sign that the original factory gasket had any RTV type gasket sealant used at all during assembly. However, when the shop did my valves the first time, they DID use a bit of RTV, but only on the lumps, and neither gasket ever leaked in 40,000 miles. For comparison, one person who had replaced the gasket without using any sealant did develop a slight leak at one of those lumps over time. For these reasons, I personally recommend applying just a thin coat of high temperature RTV to the depression in the head where those lumps fit before putting the gasket in place. Now look closely at the parts of the gasket where it is next to the spark plugs - on the exhaust side only you will see a slight squiggle or wave in the gasket, and on the cylinder head you will see a matching wave. Make sure you position the gasket with those points matching. Then look at the cover - notice the same wave? Guess where it goes . . . When you lower the cover down on the gasket, the challenge is to get the ridge on the gasket to smoothly fit up into the groove on the cover all the way around. If you even have a hint that the cover is not completely smooth and flush on the head, then the gasket is NOT completely seated in that groove. Take your time and trace the entire edge with a bright flashlight to get it right. Remember how much work it was to get that cover off; you don't want to have to do it again! When putting the front gasket and cover in place, remember they must go in from the right side to fit around that water pipe. The torque on the cover bolts is only 7.2 ft lbs., and that is not much. Make sure you have a wrench that has a setting that low, and use it. These are not the kind of gaskets where you can go back later and tighten them a little more if you get a leak. In fact, over tightening the cover on that thick rubber will just distort it and make the leak worse. Although the manual does not say to tighten the bolts from the inside out in a cross pattern like you would the head bolts, that is still the method I recommend. Air Intake Parts: Make sure you get that front T in place before you put the carbs in, same with the rubber Y that connects the air plenums to the T. The only thing to remember about the T is that it has a locating lug sticking out the front that MUST fit in the rubber grommet in the frame. The hose clamp on that rubber Y is located on the left side of the bike, with the head facing up. Initially it seems impossible to access, but just use a long screwdriver behind the wire bundles next to the frame. Putting the carbs back in: After making sure the hose clamps are still properly positioned on the top of the intake manifolds, slide the carbs in from the left side, but leave them just far enough out to make it easy to attach the throttle cables. Then after making sure all the carbs are centered on the manifolds, you need to push down on them pretty hard to pop them back in place. Try to put the base of your hand on top of the carb throats, not on the plastic diaphragm covers. Re-route all the fuel lines and vent hoses appropriately, and don't forget to re-connect the two plugs. Putting on the air plenums: Some people have had real trouble getting the air plenums to fit properly back on top of the carbs (and stay there when they tighten the clamps). In every single case I have seen, this has been caused by the rubber neck on the plenum being caught on the edge of the carb and buckled under the clamp - usually behind the carb where it is impossible to see. Make sure the clamps are plenty loose and rock the plenum a bit when putting it on. If the rubber is not buckled in there, the plenum will fit fully down on the carbs and not spring back up at all. Unlike the lower hose clamps, those on top of the carbs do not have a metal collar to prevent them from being over tightened, so just make sure they are properly set in the grooves on the plenum and snug them up pretty good instead of trying to play Magilla. I think that is about it. Let me know if you think I have missed something or you have any questions! Goose

WARNING - this is LONG, so unless you are actually going to adjust your valves, or just like to read mechanical cookbooks, you probably should just stop here! There is a LOT involved in this job. It needs to be done, but it is probably worth whatever you local shop is charging. I'd certainly pay $200 for it if I trusted the shop, and I'm very comfortable doing the job myself. If you don't trust your shop, or don't have the money, then read on! We periodically have questions and discussions here on valve adjustments, like how often? (26,600 miles), is it really needed? (yes), how to? (read on), etc. And the tech manual, along with several other members, indicate it is a BIG job. So Ponch and I decided to organize a training session to see first-hand what was involved and find out about any surprises before we attempted to help any other members on this. And I want to really emphasize how thankful we are to BuddyRich for his wonderful loan of a shim kit and special tool, along with his selfless help of an entire day of hot sweaty work! Without him, what follows would probably never have happened: Background info: My 2005 RSV had the first valve check/adjustment done on schedule around 27,000 miles through the initial maintenance contract I purchased with the bike. Since the shop did it, I have no idea if any shim changes were actually needed, but since I saw evidence the valve cover gaskets were changed, I will assume that at the end of that service, all 16 valves were within spec. My bike now has 70,000 miles on it, putting it about 15,000 miles overdue for the second valve check. I found about half the valves either right at minimum tolerance or too tight (and three of them were significantly too tight). You get to decide how often you want to do your own bike, but I'll be doing this one by 30,000 miles each time now. Planning: 1. Order your gaskets and find tools and shims first. I wouldn't want to do this job without a valve shim kit unless I was willing to leave the bike torn down for several days to go find the right shims after measuring all the clearances. In addition, there are different ways to hold down the valve buckets to change the shims, but the only "right" way (and certainly the easiest) is to have the special tool; therefore, find or buy one before you start. The valve cover gasket is 4NK-11193-00-00, and the best price I found was at http://www.carolinacycle.com for about $18 ea. We have several members who have the tool and a shim kit (just a selection of various sizes) who may be willing to loan them. BuddyRich and Mother are two you might ask (if anyone else wants their name listed or removed here, please contact me so I can edit this post!). If you find someone to loan a shim kit, PLEASE ask them ahead of time to look at the current collection of shims, particularly the 265 and 270 sizes, to see if any common sizes are in short supply. The shims don't cost much, and in return for the loan, you really should buy at least two new shims in needed sizes before you start the job. Not only will this make it more likely you have the ones you need for your own bike, but it will make the kit better for the next use. It is hard to say ahead of time what sizes might be most needed, since every bike will change the mix. When we did four bikes on the same day, it was very interesting to see that. After the first two bikes, we had a ton of 270 shims, but not many 265 or 275. But after the next bike, there were only a couple 270s left but a big stack of 275. 2. This is a perfect time to change your coolant, so if you need it, have that on hand too. Even if you don't need to change it, you WILL need to drain about a quart, so have an appropriate clean tray and funnel that will allow you to do this and then add it back later. 3. This is also the perfect time to change your plugs, so have them on hand too. 4. Get a can of spray carb and choke cleaner. You are gonna want to pull those carbs (perfect time to set the floats too), and the #1 and #2 carbs are gonna be NASTY with oil residue and dirt. Legend has it that you can do this job without pulling the carbs, but no way I would want to try it. And besides, once you have all the other stuff off, pulling the carbs just isn't that hard. 5. You will really want to have your bike straight up for this job, so a center stand or maintenance jack is good to have on hand. This isn't required, but will be a lot easier and cleaner! On the side stand, you get some oil dumping off the left corner of the heads when you crack the valve cover loose, and more that comes out the covers in the left crank case. The oil mess is much worse if you have Leveling Links and you try this on the side stand! 6. Misc. tools: A good set of feeler gauges are obvious, but you will also need a torque wrench that goes down to 7.2 ft lbs (10 Nm or 86 in lbs), and a magnetic retrieving tool, tweezers or hemostats, and a good quality very small screwdriver (like a mid-size jeweler's driver, but stronger) will be necessary to remove the shims. I also recommend a tube of high temperature RTV 'gasket goo' to use on certain points of the new gaskets. On those feeler gauges, most sets have both inch and mm numbers, but the primary (or even increments) that it uses will be either inch or metric. You will have a much easier time of measuring and selecting shims if you have a metric set. And make certain you have a very bright flashlight - I prefer one of the new small LED ones because of the birghtness and color of the light. 7. Instructions - the shop manual is generally pretty good here, so I suggest you print out pages 3-9 through 3-13. The Job: Start by removing the basic stuff: seat, tank, lower cowlings, air filters. Since you WILL need to drain some coolant, just go ahead and pull those lower cowlings now and make taking off the air filters easier. Remove the "dog bones" connecting the front cylinder heads to the frame. Remove the air intake tract, including the rubber tubes where the air filters attach, the top air plenums, and the rubber T between the air filters (it is held on by one 10mm bolt on the right side of the frame). To get the air plenums off, you will need to first remove the metal straps on top (four screws each), and the two screws holding the crank case vent hose in the middle, then pull the hoses and wire bundles off to the side. After the clamps on top of each carb and the front clamp are loose, each plenum will just pull straight up. When taking off the metal straps, note that the inside front screw on each is longer than the other three, and be CAREFUL when putting all of those screws back at the end of this job - they will strip very easily! When you pull the crankcase breather connection loose from between the two air plenums, be careful of the little foam rings, most of them are stretched and falling apart - unfortunately they don't seem to be available in the parts breakdown. When you lift off each air plenum, there is a vent hose connected on the rear that will just pop off (watch out for the little wire spring clip - they aren't really necessary, but you don't want to have one pop off and get stuck in a carb or something). Pull all four plugs (necessary to turn the engine over while checking the valves). Drain the coolant - if not changing it, you will still need to drain a quart or so to allow the removal of the water hose from the rear head. CAUTION! The 12mm drain plug on the bottom left of the radiator is just plastic (as is the radiator), so when putting the plug back in, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!!!! The correct tightness is about what you can put on a clean, dry 3/8" socket extension with your bare hand. Pull the carb assembly. Start by disconnecting the fuel line behind the right rear carb and open the two clips on top of the carbs to release the fuel line that goes to the tank. Then disconnect the two overflow hoses that connect on top between the carbs and run forward to the front of the air filters. Go ahead and remove those overflow hoses completely, just pay attention to how they are routed and watch for the little plastic clip that holds them together between the carbs. At this point, all you need to do is loosen the hose clamp beneath each carb (but see the caution below) and disconnect the two electric plugs for the wires connected near the left front carb. You will find both of these plugs right up next to the frame under the large main wire bundle. The white two-wire plug is for the carb heaters, and the black triangular three-wire plug is the throttle position sensor. With the hose clamps below all four carbs loose, you can pull straight up on the assembly on each side to "pop" them loose from the intake manifolds (and this usually takes a lot of force!). With the carb assembly loose it slides straight out the left side. I generally wait until this point when the carbs are part way out to disconnect the throttle cables - access is much easier. Just loosen the long nut on each cable to allow it to slip off the bracket - as long as you don't move the small nut, the cables adjustment will not change. CAUTION! The screws on the hose clamps on the bottom of each carb are VERY soft metal. In addition, those clamps each have a metal collar to prevent you from over tightening them on the rubber boot. On most of the bikes I have worked on, at least one of those screws has been frozen so hard that the head stripped out, requiring me to drill it off to remove the clamp. If you have this same problem, stuff a rag under the clamp before you drill it off so you don't loose that little collar. The screw can then be replaced with any standard 4mm screw from the hardware store. With the carbs out, you probably should stuff a paper towel in each intake manifold to prevent anything from accidentally disappearing down there while you are working on the bike. Remove the chrome covers on the cylinder heads. Remove the plastic wire tray under the frame in front of the battery cover. This is held on by one 10mm bolt on the left side of the frame and a screw under all those hoses in front of the battery. Once that tray is off, pull the disconnected vent hoses out the back to get some needed working room above the rear valve cover. Finally, the last thing to take off before you can actually remove the valve covers is the rubber hose for the water line to the rear cylinder head (no need to take the front one off). You will need to remove the two plugs/covers in the center of the left crankcase cover to turn the engine, so now is a good time to do that. The two #3 philips-head screws are generally REAL tight, so make sure you use the correct size screwdriver to not bugger them. With the screws out, just use a very small screwdriver to work the cover back and forth on the O-ring to get it to pop off. There is a thin metal plate that will fall out as soon as the cover comes loose - it just goes back in with the ridge facing the crank, and you usually will not need to replace the O-rings on the covers. And now for the valve covers! Four flat allen-head bolts on each and they will pop off without too much effort. The gaskets are thick rubber, and they overlap a hollow cavity at the corner of each head. Just use your finger to pull of that rubber corner and then you can put a small screwdriver under there and catch the edge of the valve cover to pry it up. The rear cover will be difficult to get off, even after everything you have already removed! But just raise it as high as you can against the fuel line or other wire bundles still hanging below the frame and kinda rotate it forward to clear the cam chain. The front cover has lots of top clearance, but you need to take it out the right side to clear the water hose you left in place. FINALLY - ready to actually start checking valve clearance! MEASURING THE VALVE CLEARANCE: You can approach the measurement of the valve clearance two ways - some folks prefer to just turn the engine until they see the cam lobe pointing up for whatever valve they are checking, but I prefer to follow the more common practice of setting a piston at TDC on the compression stroke, then checking all valves for that cylinder (this is also the method from the service manual). But here is a little clue - don't get too hung up on believing everything in the service manual! There is a note in several places that tells you "TDC on the compression stroke can be found when the camshaft lobes are turned away from each other." NOT SO!!! While true for the front two cylinders, the cam lobes on the rear two cylinders will NEVER point away from each other! Seems weird to me, as I really expected the valve timing to show the identical relationship between the cams on all the cylinders for the same engine, but the facts show different. And before anyone asks, I did check my valve timing according to the manual and the index marks on the cams, and all four cams were correct. Anyway, back to the measurement. Start by turning the engine counterclockwise until you see the valves on #1 cylinder (left rear) all closed, then watch for the timing mark on the generator rotor through the observation hole to align with the mark on the crankcase cover. It is not necessary for it to be exactly perfect to measure the valves. Now you can check the clearance on both intake and both exhaust valves for #1. Since you are dealing with four valves at a time, it is helpful to write down the clearance you measure so you don't have to re-check them over and over again! If any valves need to be adjusted, I explain this in the next section. After completing the measurement and/or adjustment for #1, if you turn the crank 180 degrees, cylinder #3 (right rear) will be at TDC and ready to check (just put the socket on the crankshaft with the handle pointing to the rear and turn it counterclockwise until the handle points forward - can't get much easier than that!). When you are done with #3, turn the crank 180 degrees again, then start watching for a second timing mark to line up on the generator rotor 70 degrees later (a little less than 1/4 of a turn), now #2 is at TDC and ready to check. Finally, after checking/adjusting #2, just turn the crank 180 degrees one more time and #4 will be at TDC and ready to check. When you are done with #4, turning the crank just 110 degrees (slightly more than 1/4 turn) puts #1 back at TDC to start over. After you have made adjustments to any valve, I strongly recommend you turn the engine through several turns to ensure the valve shims are fully seated and measure them again to see if the final clearance is what you want. I found I needed to change the shims several times on some valves to get it right. By going through the 1, 3, 2, 4 sequence several times you get the chance to double-check all your measurements, as well as re-check the ones you changed. CHANGING THE VALVE CLEARANCE: Note: You will find a second person to help turn the engine VERY helpful here, especially when working on #3 and #4! To adjust the clearance you need to remove the existing shim and replace it with one of a more appropriate thickness. The majority of changes will be to a thinner shim, but you won't have any idea what the needed size will be until you get the existing shim out. Getting the tappet adjusting tool inserted the first time can be a little tricky. It can be inserted from either side of the cam, depending on which side you want to pull the shim from. The first thing you do is turn the crank in either direction so that the cam lobe is pointing AWAY from the side where you plan to insert the tool. Next, before you insert the tool, use your fingertip to turn both shim buckets until one of the open notches is where you can reach it with your small screwdriver - this is where you will need to pry up the old shim to break the suction of the oil film (and that can be tough to do). To insert the tool, try to rotate the short end under the cam to depress the buckets. You won't get it very far just with your fingers, so slowly turn the crank in the proper direction to let the cam finish turning the tool into place (while keeping some pressure on the long arm of the tool to make it move). You will want to make sure the tool is turned all the way until the long arm touches the side of the head or you won't have enough clearance to pull out the old shim. Now that the tool is in place, reach in with that little screwdriver and pry up on the bottom edge of the shim - the suction of the oil film will be STRONG, so don't be surprised if you have a tough time getting each shim to pop up. Once it does pop up, you can either grab it with tweezers or a magnet to pull it out. Turn it over and note the number on the bottom (they should always be installed with the number down). Replacement shims are only available in .05mm increments (such as 260, 265, and 270), but the ones you pull out might be be anything (such as 269 or 272). That is why you will find some odd numbers in the shim kit - they came out of someone else's bike. To decide what shim to put back in, you need to know what the clearance was before you removed it (remember, I said to write it down)! The shop manual has a really neat chart that lets you just look along one axis to find the number on your current shim, then just look down the side to find the clearance you measured - where the two lines intersect, that is the new shim number you need. It works pretty good, but make sure you look at the right chart (they are different for intake and exhaust)! If you try and do this job without having a shim kit, those charts are really the best way to decide which shims you need to buy. A less formal but more natural way is to just look at the number of the current shim, think about how much you need to change it (was that valve just a little tight, or a lot tight?), and then choose a slightly thinner or thicker shim that you think might be in the ballpark. For example, if you pull out a 273 shim and the valve was just a tad too tight, you might want to try a 270, but if it seemed quite a bit lower than the minimum spec, better go straight to the 265. No matter how you selected the new shim size, it is very important to turn the engine over several times and then re-check the clearance to see if your guess was correct - even using the charts leaves room for error. Putting it all back Together: Just a few notes here on reassembling the bike - most everything will just be a reverse of the disassembly process, but there are a few pointers to help you. Valve Cover Gaskets: These are very thick rubber with big half-circle "lumps" at the ends of each camshaft. They only go on ONE way. They are flat on the bottom, and the top has a ridge that fits into the groove on the valve cover. But it does not fit tight enough in the groove to hold it in place while you put the cover back. No matter, though, since there is not enough clearance to get the cover back on the rear cylinders with it attached - your only choice is to place the gasket on the head and then maneuver the cover in place. The original gasket seems to have been held to the cover by several spots of rubber cement in the groove, but there was no sign that a gasket sealant was used all the way around. Other than those glue spots on the cover, there was no sign that the original factory gasket had any RTV type gasket sealant used at all during assembly. However, when the shop did my valves the first time, they DID use a bit of RTV, but only on the lumps, and neither gasket ever leaked in 40,000 miles. For comparison, one person who had replaced the gasket without using any sealant did develop a slight leak at one of those lumps over time. For these reasons, I personally recommend applying just a thin coat of high temperature RTV to the depression in the head where those lumps fit before putting the gasket in place. Now look closely at the parts of the gasket where it is next to the spark plugs - on the exhaust side only you will see a slight squiggle or wave in the gasket, and on the cylinder head you will see a matching wave. Make sure you position the gasket with those points matching. Then look at the cover - notice the same wave? Guess where it goes . . . When you lower the cover down on the gasket, the challenge is to get the ridge on the gasket to smoothly fit up into the groove on the cover all the way around. If you even have a hint that the cover is not completely smooth and flush on the head, then the gasket is NOT completely seated in that groove. Take your time and trace the entire edge with a bright flashlight to get it right. Remember how much work it was to get that cover off; you don't want to have to do it again! When putting the front gasket and cover in place, remember they must go in from the right side to fit around that water pipe. The torque on the cover bolts is only 7.2 ft lbs., and that is not much. Make sure you have a wrench that has a setting that low, and use it. These are not the kind of gaskets where you can go back later and tighten them a little more if you get a leak. In fact, over tightening the cover on that thick rubber will just distort it and make the leak worse. Although the manual does not say to tighten the bolts from the inside out in a cross pattern like you would the head bolts, that is still the method I recommend. Air Intake Parts: Make sure you get that front T in place before you put the carbs in, same with the rubber Y that connects the air plenums to the T. The only thing to remember about the T is that it has a locating lug sticking out the front that MUST fit in the rubber grommet in the frame. The hose clamp on that rubber Y is located on the left side of the bike, with the head facing up. Initially it seems impossible to access, but just use a long screwdriver behind the wire bundles next to the frame. Putting the carbs back in: After making sure the hose clamps are still properly positioned on the top of the intake manifolds, slide the carbs in from the left side, but leave them just far enough out to make it easy to attach the throttle cables. Then after making sure all the carbs are centered on the manifolds, you need to push down on them pretty hard to pop them back in place. Try to put the base of your hand on top of the carb throats, not on the plastic diaphragm covers. Re-route all the fuel lines and vent hoses appropriately, and don't forget to re-connect the two plugs. Putting on the air plenums: Some people have had real trouble getting the air plenums to fit properly back on top of the carbs (and stay there when they tighten the clamps). In every single case I have seen, this has been caused by the rubber neck on the plenum being caught on the edge of the carb and buckled under the clamp - usually behind the carb where it is impossible to see. Make sure the clamps are plenty loose and rock the plenum a bit when putting it on. If the rubber is not buckled in there, the plenum will fit fully down on the carbs and not spring back up at all. Unlike the lower hose clamps, those on top of the carbs do not have a metal collar to prevent them from being over tightened, so just make sure they are properly set in the grooves on the plenum and snug them up pretty good instead of trying to play Magilla. I think that is about it. Let me know if you think I have missed something or you have any questions! Goose

RE: the excessive backfiring can it be caused by a bad "Air cut valve" or a bad "Reed valve" and has anyone had to replace them? and if so are there any after market ones available, and if so where from? and could this be the reason for my excessive backfiring when down shifting, as my carbs are synced properly. I shall look for your response. Thanking You..Mobile

I have a question for those who have totally removed the AIS system on their RSV....after removing the valve by the rear shock, did you also remove the box or valve that is at the front of the engine by the oil filter? If so, I'm assuming that is a remove the radiator job too? Thanks, Joe

My bike has been at dealer shop now for 5 weeks. They say I have stuck valve and should be using ring free or techron with my gas and use premium gas only. They have agreed to fix under warranty. After all, they are the only one that has serviced my bike and never mentioned this when I drove it off the showroom floor. I love my bike but don't want this to happen in future. I don't see where I have done anything wrong but I have not been putting additives in gas between fill ups. Has any one else had this issue?

Hey all, I'm new to the yamaha venture and so far the wife and I love the bike, the question I have is after doing the 600 mi. oil change using 15w-40w rotella the engine has some valve ticking on cold start up then goes away in about a minute. Is this a normal thing on this engine, or do I just have a valve set a little loose, oh yeah the bike is an 09. Thanks for the help.